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Panel- countersink or not ?

jpflys1

Member
I plan on countersunk screws to attach panel. Does anyone have advice if powder coating fills countersink too much ? Wondering if I should set it deeper to allow for powder coat thickness. Thanks, Jim
 
Jim -

I powder coated my panel and it adds quite a bit of material.

I did not countersink my panel because I like the look of black button head screws on the panel, so I can't say from personal experience how much the powder coating will fill the countersinks .... however, the powder coat added enough thickness that I needed to carefully file the edges of the panel pieces to get them to seat properly with one another and the upper fuselage skin.

So based on my experience, I would plan on countersinking at least a couple of clicks deeper ... or better yet, make a test strip of aluminum the same thickness as the panel with an assortment of countersinks made to different depths. Take your test strip to the vendor you plan to use and have them powder coat the strip using the color you are going with and see which countersink yields the finished look that suits you.

Happy building,
 
Suggest you send a trial panel piece with different countersink depths to the powder coater to test what works best. Money well spent... if they actually charge you for it.
 
I have a powder coated panel on my -7A with countersunk screws. I was able to touch up the countersinks where needed after powder coating without chipping or otherwise damaging the panel, so I wouldnt worry about it too much. Try it for yourself on a piece of powder coated scrap

erich
 
Powder coat

Powder coat add more than you might think. 2-5 mils. I filed my panel edges for at least .010" clearance. 5 for the powder coat and 5 to slide it in. No countersinks. All my screws and rivets are visible. I painted before assembly.
 
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